


The Price of Freedom

by EmerialynCodeVenice



Series: Djinn Dirk AU [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dirk Is Jake's Treasure, Dirk Is So Adorably Lost and Confused, Djinn Dirk Oneshots, Former Djinn Dirk, Hero Jake Is A Bit Distracted, Jake Needs To Start Polishing That Fine..., Just Escaped Cavern of Hearts, M/M, Rocky Bumps To Come, World Oblivious Dirk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 07:07:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13161822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmerialynCodeVenice/pseuds/EmerialynCodeVenice
Summary: After spending so long imprisoned in the Cavern of Hearts, for everything to suddenly change is jarring. What is Dirk to do now?AKA: Whereas Djinn Dirk is confused from his newfound freedom and Jake is horrible at explaining things.





	The Price of Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> Set directly after the events of The Greatest of Treasures. I thought it to be a necessary aftermath scene to loosely describe Dirk’s sudden shock and Jake’s initial intentions for the two of them. Short, but a good description of Dirk's emotions and confusion.\
> 
> Also, Happy Holidays everyone!!!

                                                                        

That night had you sitting around a warm light— _a fire, it was called a fire—_ staring at it as you try to comprehend what had just happened. You were barely a distance away into the forest beside the Cavern of Hearts, but it was further from the place than you had been for _thousands_ of years. Your former prison, itself, now lay in ruins, a crumbled heap that seemed to get smaller and smaller every time you looked at it. You really didn’t understand it, didn’t understand _anything_ that was happening.

“Penny for your thoughts, mate?”

Speaking of things you didn’t understand…

You look up from the fire at the face of your savior, the face of… _Jake._ Jake English, he later introduced himself as, as he half-carried you from the ruins of the Cavern of Hearts to this… campsite, as he called it. You knew nothing about him, had barely been aware of his existence for a day’s worth of time, but, suddenly, he controlled your very fate in his hands.

It was… you didn’t know what it was.

“I…” you speak, still wondering if you were about to wake up from a dream and find out that this was all some cruel, cosmic joke. “I’m still getting used to…”

You gesture around the fire and forest at night, sights that you loosely knew the names of, but had forgotten after so long of being surrounded by only yourself and the treasures of the Cavern of Hearts. It was disconcerting, in fact, to see a lack of gold and gemstones.

Jake nodded, as if understanding your thoughts. _Did he, did he understand what he had just done for you—_ “Quite understandable, chum. It’s quite a thing for me to comprehend as well! Came here to see if the legendary Cavern of Hearts truly existed, ran the course for a spot of adventure—” And that, that was still so _weird_. Seriously, who went through a cavern full of death-defying traps for _fun_? “—and came out with one ancient spirit! Why, my grandmother’s stories never spoke of something like this…”

You fidget, shivering despite it not being cold— _while it was warm, it was extremely disconcerting to be able to feel things like hot and cold—_ and grimace. “I’m… sorry…” you say quietly, a feeling building up in your chest. You’re pretty sure it was terror. But terror from _what—_

Jake’s face fell and he came to sit beside you— _you felt your skin alight at his presence. It had been so long since you were around another person. And by persons, you meant travelers who generally had left as soon as they could with their treasure and definitely never got close enough to touch._ “Why— ergh, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean it like that, Dirk.” Something  _thumped_ in your chest; hearing your name felt like Jake had taken the raw, bruised mess that was your heart and _caressed it_. “I just wasn’t expecting it!”

The tanned man hummed, leaning back on the log he had made into a makeshift place to sit for two of you— _it was like whiplash, when he had called it that, for you recalled the numerous carved benches and plush, silk chairs in the cavern—_ as he regarded you with those green, _green_ eyes. “But I definitely wasn’t disappointed,” he said bluntly, making your heart skip a beat. “Why, I don’t think I could have found a better treasure if I tried.”

Your face reddens and you glance down, studying your feet in your sandals against the dirt ground. Again, it was such an odd sight, used to gold or the dark stone of the cavern’s floor. Things like this, more than anything, confirmed that you weren’t dreaming. How _could_ you? Having long since forgotten the outside world and the things in it beyond what was required of you when greeting travelers.

You want to ask Jake why. Why he had chosen you over all the treasures and riches there. He had said before that he didn’t want a servant, but you honestly couldn’t comprehend what was happening or what use you were to him if you weren’t to be his slave. It had happened so fast. And, when the cavern started to fall apart, your only concern beyond the sudden pain in your soul had been to get Jake _out_ … but, instead of leaving you, he had literally _picked you up_ and carried you out.

…Leading to now.

But, instead of asking him these things, you decide to ask a different question. “So… what now?”

Jake’s face turned considering, his dark complexion alighting from the glow of the fire, as he pressed his forefinger and thumb to his chin. “Hmm, I admit that I didn’t think that far.”

Something sinks inside of you. He was going to leave you here, wasn’t he? It was enough that he had freed you— _freed you? Was it freedom when you had nowhere to go?—_ and he had no obligation to anything further for you. What was going to happen now—

Jake snapped his fingers, startling you from your thoughts. You look towards him and see his expression lit with excitement as he speaks again. “Why don’t we start with heading back towards civilization? We are quite a ways out, after all, so it’ll take at least a week, but once we get there we’ll be able to—”

“We?” you blurt out, amber eyes going wide as _hope_ alights in your chest. Was he… was he really not leaving you? _He was going to take you with?_

Jake stammers. “W-well, of course, I mean, I thought you wouldn’t mind? I thought we... I mean, you don’t have anyone, do you?”

Your mood darkens as you shake your head, pain filling you. Your head is jumbled, so many new sensations and thoughts dominating you for the first time in so long, but you do know... that anyone who would have cared for you is gone. You don’t know what happened to them— _yes, you do, you might not be able to remember but you know you **failed** them—_but you know that there’s no chance that they’re alive anywhere. You’re completely alone in this strange, new world.

Except for Jake.   

“Why would you take care of me?” you ask quietly.

Jake frowned. “Well, why wouldn’t I? I broke your curse, didn’t I? It’s only right that I take responsibility for my actions. _You_ certainly do not need to suffer anymore.”

“You… called me your treasure,” you say, recalling his words right after escaping the Cavern of Hearts and then again in conversation just a few moments ago. It… it wasn’t like you thought he was lying— _because, at the moment he said it, there was nothing that you had believed more—_ it was just… “Is that what I am to you?”

His face reddens— _you’re curious, wondering why it kept doing that, the answer niggling at the edge of your brain—_ and he clears his throat, wiping his hands against his dusty pants in a nervous motion.

“Well, yes,” he said after a moment, swallowing. “You were so… so insistent that I take one of those shiny baubles—” You frown, they were not _‘baubles,’_ they had been the most priceless treasures in the world! “—and I, well, I was, understandably, distracted…”

You huff. He had made it very clear that he didn’t care about anything in the cavern, what could he have been so distracted from? Well, you supposed that he _had_ been rather surprised to see an ancient spirit bounded to the chamber…

“Anyway,” he cleared his throat, scratching the side of his face idly. “I meant what I said before that you are worth more than anything that was in that cavern and I still mean it now. And, as a result, I do believe that it is my duty to care for you. For as long as you desire it. Is that alright, Dirk?”

There was something about his words that felt off— _why would they? He was promising to take care of you. What could possibly be wrong with that?—_ but you nod anyway, a smile forming on your lips as you settle back against the log, feeling relaxed and calmed in a way you had never experienced before. Or, at least, not for a very long, long, long time.

You understood what he meant. While he was having trouble saying it now, he still meant it. That you were his _treasure_. A treasure that he would protect and care for, for as long as you desired it— _forever, a part of you whispered, please stay with me forever—_ and you could feel your very soul _hum_ in contentment.

You weren’t sure what was going to happen next, where you were going or what you would do, but you’re certain of it now. As long as you were with Jake, it would be alright.

Somehow, with his help, you would figure it out.

**Author's Note:**

> It should be noted that Dirk is actually worse than an infant at this point. While he does have vague memories of things and objects, he is basically a stranger to life and the world. 
> 
> An infant, at least, can comprehend heat and cold, can tell when they're hungry or in pain, but Dirk has been an invulnerable spirit left only with a chamber full of treasures traumatic emotional regrets he can barely recall, and lost memories of what it actually means to be a human. 
> 
> While his previous state had left him suspended in time (as in, his memories have not atrophied and he is in the same physical condition as when he was imprisoned), he basically lost in every other way. 
> 
> Wonder if Jake is up for the challenge? Luckily, Dirk is anything but a complainer... or, on second thought, that's REALLY BAD. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed this! Even though all it's basically saying is that Dirk is in shock from this new situation, but Jake has no intentions of leaving him alone and wishes to help him along. A great start with a lot of trouble left to go!


End file.
